News-Record.com

Was the information available through criminal records checks or was it not (that is, was it kept secret or unavailable for personnel/legal reasons)? If it was not available, it's hard to fault GCS. With only the current news reports to go on, it's equally difficult to tell if Mr. Miller lied about his employment dates and/or if GCS asked his current employer about employment dates and if that employer answered honestly. (Most businesses don't give references anymore and merely confirm employment dates.)

Also, before we jump the gun, there is nothing in current reporting indicating a problem at Grimsley. This may be a case of an old incident catching up with Mr. Miller and even though his alleged lying is enough to invite him to leave, there is nothing to show that something happened here. Let's remember that.

If he was never convicted of anything and no warrants outstanding, there may be no records that could have been shared legally with GCS. Let's remember that prior to convicting GCS of doing a bad employee check.

School systems should be EXTREMELY thorough when checking into backgrounds of ANY employee who comes into contact with students. That includes everyone from bus drivers to cafeteria workers to custodians and on down the line. I'm not sure if credit checks are necessary but certainly something as simple as Google checks cannot be overlooked.

My child recently helped the custodian clean the stage at his school along with a few other students from his class. My second-grader was excited because the custodian took them all to the staff lounge for a drink and snack afterwards. I am telling this just to show the kind of access support staff have to our children. Our custodian seems to be a very nice and trustworthy man.

The question I was trained to ask former employers about anyone I was looking to hire was, "Would you hire this person again?" I wonder if GCS asked this question about Kevin Miller.

Ms. Thompson's responses are non-answers and are unacceptable. The GCS needs to explain why it was unable to determine that Mr. Miller a) had left the New Haven schools in late 2006 and b) had resigned because of substantiated DCF allegations from another position in late 2007.

At a minimum, the reference check with the New Haven schools should have revealed that Mr. Miller had left that system in 2006 and not 2007.

Apparently, the GCS "normal protocol" has a hole a mile wide. Worse, we have yet to read any indications of concern from the GCS. They followed their "protocol," so everything is okay.

I just came across this training film of the GCS reference-check procedures ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dV2ECMd66M ).

It is inexcusable for GCS to hire someone and NOT verify previous employment. It is LAUGHABLE for Peggy Thompson to hide behind this statement: "The information provided on the Board report was the exact information provided to us by Mr. Miller." It insults my intelligence for her to pretend that Guilford County Schools should not have VERIFIED "the exact information provided to us by Mr. Miller." At its most basic level, verifying previous employment means verifying places and DATES of employment. If Mr. Miller stated that he was still employed at New Haven Schools when he was hired by GCS, surely GCS's due diligence would have uncovered the fact that he was not. For an administrator to be caught LYING would mean that he would never be hired by a SCHOOL SYSTEM, would it not? So, one can only conclude that GCS never conducted the due diligence that was their responsibility in hiring someone at that level. Where does the buck stop?

GCS should be aware that child predators tend to go where children congregate, so they need to be extremely diligent in performing backgrounds checks. The old excuse that we do not have enough resources to fully vet every employee hired from out of state is unacceptable. It has not been proven as yet that Mr. Miller is or is not be a child predator, but that is not the point.

Willie Sutton was one of the most notorious bank robbers of the 1920's and 1930's. Born in New York City in 1901 as the fourth of five children, he would impersonate police officers, mail carriers, and maintenance workers to pull off heists in broad daylight. Known as ‘Slick Willy', it is believed that he stole more than $2 million and spent more than half his adult life in prison.

He is most famous for the response he gave to a newspaper reporter who asked him; "Why do you rob banks?"

Rather than justify his criminal behavior, he replied: "Because that's where the money is."

Well, GCS, child predators like to work at schools, "Because that's where the children are".

As far as it takes to find the perverts in Guilford County Schools!

I know first hand how shady GCS can be. I was a lateral entry teacher. When I interviewed with the principal he told me that he would check my references and get back wth me. He never checked any of my references, no one did. Then I signed my contract in August and was allowed to teach before my background check was even completed! I could have been a serial killer or pedophile or anything and no one would have never known. It took two months for me to get approved for my temporary license. Just think of the awful things I could have done in that amount of time. I tried to go to the news about this because they claim they are always looking for info about GCS but no one seems interested. I guess it will take a child getting killed or raped (again) for people to take this seriously.